A Departure to Celebrate

He’s ascended and what is his, will be ours. He’s ascended, and where he went, we too, are going. He’s ascended, and the doors of heaven have swung open for you, the gates of hell slammed shut. He’s ascended and heaven draws near. He’s ascended and he’s forever what for us he became. He’s ascended and we are not forgotten, for he who saved now rules. He’s ascended, yet he still sets hearts burning with Word and sacrament. He’s ascended, but he’s not gone, and never will be. 

Why didn’t the disciples weep, protest, fret, or pout when Jesus ascended? They did the last time he left them, when he gave up his spirit, was buried, and descended into hell. Why none of that now? St. Luke tells us: “Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God” (Luke 24:51-53).

What a strange departure! The only happy departures most of us ever know involve difficult people or awkward situations. Loved ones don’t like to leave or be left. But not the disciples. They rejoiced. What an odd response.

Why this joy? Why this patient eagerness? Because they knew what it means when the Church confesses: “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.” Caesar boasted: “I came. I saw. I conquered.” Christ can rightly say: “I came. I saved. I ascended.” Christ, who had befriended mankind in his incarnation, redeemed us in his crucifixion, and renewed us in his resurrection, would now ascend on high to guide us in his ascension. The disciples truly had a friend on high, and the Ascension was a reminder of all that had been fulfilled and was to come. 

Remember Joseph? His brothers, jealous of their father’s love for him, sold him into slavery. He was taken to Egypt for what seemed to be a cruel life of tiresome labor. But, with time, Joseph distinguished himself by his faithful work and wisdom. Famine struck, and it just so happened that Joseph had ascended to the right hand of the Pharaoh, with all of Pharaoh’s power and authority at his disposal. Hungry and desperate, Jacob sent Joseph’s brothers to Egypt to buy food. Joseph recognized them and, forgiving them, fed them with Egyptian food, and made them a home in his kingdom. So also, Christ, our Brother and the beloved Son of our heavenly Father, whom we sold into death, has been raised to the right hand of the Father and reigns with all of God’s power and authority at his disposal. He has forgiven us our wrongs and now feeds us, once hungry and desperate, with heavenly food. He makes for us an eternal home in his kingdom, in Paradise. 

Departures are often sad, but this is no time for tears. This is a time for joy, for patient eagerness, for though Christ has left us, he is as close as ever. His ascension is not so much “goodbye” as “see you soon.” In the midst of this world’s fallen chaos and the upheaval of our daily lives, we can take a deep breath and reassure ourselves always: “He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”